Parents Are Hiring 'Homework Therapists' For Their Stressed Out Kids

Every generation has its own trials and tribulations, but one thing kids across every generational gap had in common? Homework. Homework has always been part of a formal education. It originated from the idea that the brain is a muscle that can be strengthened through extra stimulus.

History loosely credits Roberto Nevilis with the “invention” of homework. The concept, however, technically dates back to ancient Roman times when Pliny the Younger, an oratory teacher, asked his followers to participate in at-home exercises. His goal with this was to get students to develop speaking skills in a more informal atmosphere so they would be comfortable in a formal one. The results of his practice were so successful that tutors began adopting his theory. In 1905, however, Nevilis introduced it to the formal education system as a punishment to his students.

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Public opinion on homework has reflectively waffled throughout the years. In the 1940s it was heavily supported, and people still fully held the belief that it was a necessary part of learning. By the '60s and '70s, homework started to be questioned and was looked at as something that inhibited students recreationally and creatively. In the '80s, it swung back into favor and in the '90s was pushed heavily. In the early aughts, homework came back under criticism, led by parents who were concerned it placed too much stress on children.

Today, according to a reported segment on CBS' The Doctors, homework is such a concern that parents are shelling out hundred of dollars to give their kids a “homework therapist.” Going above and beyond just tutoring, these people tout themselves as “emotional’ supporters throughout the stressful practice of homework. But not everyone agrees it is a necessity. Check out the full story on whether a “homework therapist” is actually beneficial to a child in the video below.